HELP
by MPCREATOR
Summary: THIS IS A BEVIN STORY. PLUS SOME OC'S. DONT LIKE, DONT READ. THERE WILL BE YAOI. GWEN FIGURES OUT THAT KEVIN MAY HAVE ACTUALLY HAD FELLINGS FOR BEN, BUT KEVIN DIDNT KNOW HIMSELF AND THOUGHT THEY WERE FOR GWEN. THEY BREAK UP AND KEVIN MOVES BACK TO BELLWOOD TO TRY TO WIN BEN OVER, BUT GETS A SURPRISE WHEN HE GETS THERE.
1. Kevin's Feelings

**HELP**

**Kevin's Feelings**

-Gwen-

Things have been fairly normal since I started collage, aside from a few alien troubles here and there. The only non-normal action that happens constantly is Kevin's behaviour. Since we moved his attitude has been different, like he's getting distant. I'm not saying he's the only one's who's feelings are changing; I, myself, have found an interest in one of my classmates, but I still have feelings for Kevin. How strong they are or what they'd be called I don't know, but they aren't as strong as they used to be. Anyway back to Kevin. Not only does he seem distant all the time, he also seems sadder; less like himself. I've noticed that if Ben calls, visits, or we visit him, Kevin seems to be normal, happier, a lot less distant. And since we haven't see or heard from Ben in the last six months he's been even worse. So I called him over to the dorms to speak with him about what I've noticed.

**KNOCK, KNOCK. **I opened the door to see Kevin on the other side texting someone. "Who are you texting?" I asked allowing him inside. "Ben. He won't answer any calls." He said, sitting at my desk. "Maybe he's busy." I suggested, taking a seat across from him on my bed. "All day?" He questioned. "Just give him some time to answer you back." I said. He sighed and nodded. "What'd you want to talk about?" He asked, sitting his phone on the desk. "Some things that I've noticed." I said and he looked at me with curiosity in his eyes. "Like?" He urged me to continue. "First off, our feelings aren't the same as they used to be; if they were even there in the first place. Second off, this conversation involves you and Ben." His breath caught when I said this. "Yeah, what about us?" He asked, adverting his gaze from mine. "As weird for you as this may sound. I think you have feelings for him as more than you're best friend." I said. His cheeks grew pinker and pinker. "I'm not angry at you for liking my cousin, but why didn't you tell me?" I asked, he looked relived yet also still worried. "I wasn't really sure who my feelings were for. Yes I have feelings for you, but lately I don't think they are more than a friend or sister." He sounded guilty. I gave him a soft smile. "You don't have to feel guilty for who you like. I'm not mad at you either. And not to be rude, but I've also took an interest in someone else." I said and he looked at me with worry. "So that means we're done?" He asked and I nodded. He sighed as if in relief. "Sorry I sorta lied to you." He apologized. That stunned me, Kevin never apologizes. He must have felt really guilty. "What are you worried about?" I asked. "Ben's not gonna return the feelings. He's straight. If I even tell him I like men he'll never want to talk to me again." He covered his face with his hands. "You'll be surprised. I over heard an argument between him and Cash once. Cash was dissing on a gay couple at school and Ben stood up for them, saying it didn't matter that they liked the same gender; as long as they were happy. Of course Cash beat him up and started calling him gay. He also does those silent days." I explained and him mood seemed to brighten. "Its pretty late, do you want me to head home and come back tomarrow?" He asked getting up from the desk. "No I'll come over and help you pack to go back to Bellwood." I said. He looked stunned that I was already pushing him back to Bellwood. "O-ok." He said then left.

For the rest of the night I did my home work for the weekend and read. Eventually I fell asleep. The next day I woke up, took a shower, dressed in work clothes, and headed to Kevin's. When I got there I rang the doorbell and waited about two minutes before ringing it again. After five minutes of waiting I rang it repeatedly until Kevin yanked the door open. "WHAT?! Oh, hi Gwen." He stepped back to let me enter. "Kevin, did you just get out of bed?" He nodded rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. While I was in a pair of black leggings, running shoes, and a blue tank top; Kevin was shirtless with black basketball shorts and his hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Now it was just below his shoulder blades; I guess that's what four years of not cutting your hair will lead to. "What time is it anyways?" Kevin asked pulling a random shirt off the couch. "About 8:30." I answered as I started pulling flattened boxes out of his closet. For the next five minutes we reshaped them back into their box forms in silence. "So, when did Ben start with all the silent days and other stuff?" Kevin suddenly asked as we were packing the things in his room. "I think the school year after we meet you." I answered, trying to remember when it all started. I looked over to Kevin to see him mindlessly shoving things into a box. When I looked closer I noticed he was blushing; I had to stifle a giggle. After, maybe, five minutes of packing in silence Kevin spoke again. "So, why are you pushing me back to Bellwood so quickly?" His box was full when he asked this. "Well, it's almost Christmas, and if my assumption is right, Ben may like to hear the news around now." I said starting on the final box. It really didn't take to long to pack up his entire apartment, most of his stuff was in his room; in all it was ten boxes and one duffle bag of some of his clothes. "Well that didn't take long." I stated the obvious when we finish putting the boxes into his car; seven in the trunk and three in the back seat plus the duffle bag.

It was around noon so we decided to get lunch in a little diner close to the campus. During the meal we talked about different things; none of involved Ben or Bellwood. "So, want to do some Christmas shopping before you leave?" I asked when we finished. "Sure why not?" He started the car and drove to the small mall just down the road. We spent the rest of the day, at least till dark, going through shops getting gifts for everyone we knew. When the sun finished setting Kevin dropped me off at the campus and we said our farewells till we see each other again. I waved as Kevin drove off and smiled to myself, hoping things went well for the two.


	2. Finding Ben?

**Finding Ben?**

-Kevin-

I arrived in Bellwood around 3am, parked in front of the Tennyson residence, and just passed out from how tired I was from the drive. I woke back up around 5:30am and decided to wait for Benji to come outside. When thirty minutes passed and he didn't come outside I got out of my car and headed to the front door. I knocked and waited and knocked again, then rang the doorbell. Still no one answered. So I did what anyone else would do, at least what I would do; I absorbed the metal of the doorknob and picked the lock. "What do you think you are doing?" A voice asked as a gun powered up behind me. I slowly turned around while putting my hands in the air. "Kevin? Why are you breaking into Bens' home?" Rook looked very surprised to see me as he lowered the gun. "Thought I'd hang around, wait till something came up." I joked and he gave me a 'no joke's look. I sighed. "Fine. I came to check on Tennyson. When he didn't come out of the house after a while I tried knocking and ringing the bell, but no one answered. So, I was gonna let myself in to see if anything was wrong." I told him as I finished picking the lock. We walked in and everything looked like it was left in the same spot for a month without being cleaned. "Ben? Benji? You home man?" I called into the place. "Ben if you are around, please answer us." Rook called after I had. Slowly we made our way to his room. Inside was absolutely nothing but a bed, nightstand, and lamp; everything else was gone. "What the hell?" I spoke aloud and Rook nodded in agreement. We left the house, making sure the front door was re-locked. "Why'd you come over to Tennysons' anyways?" I asked Rook. "I have not seen him in a week. I figured he would be here, but now I do not know where he would be." He said walking to his truck. "I can not even find the signal from the Omnitrix." That statement got me worried. "Well then why are we standing here. Let's start looking for him." I said jumping in my car. Rook nodded and hopped into his truck.

I took off down the road as Rook spoke through my plumbers badge. "I will search the east side of town and you search the west side, then we will meet up and search Undertown." Rook ordered as he drove in the opposite direction. I just hummed in cooperation. I started weaving through the roads looking for any sign of Ben; his car, anything. My eyes attracted to anything that was even vaguely similar to my Benji. At some point I came across a girl that had a similar build to Ben, but was dressed like I used to when I was eleven, though more girlish. Other than that nothing; absolutely nothing on my side of the town. "Rook? You find anything?l I spoke through my badge as I started towards Undertown. "No. I have not found a thing. Did you?" He asked. "No. The closest thing was a girl with the same build, but that's it." I said pulling near the entrance of Undertown. Rook pulled up right after me. "Strange. But what is even stranger is that Ben was not at his favorite food places." He informed me as we started the trek down.

When we entered we found that we ended up on the market side. "It's nearing 8:30 he should be somewhere by now." I said as my eyes searched the area. We continued our search through the market for at least an hour, before starting in the businesses. We asked may of the owners if they'd seen him. There were a lot of 'no's, but a few pointed us closer to the homes. Right out side the first house of the neighborhood was a little XLR8 girl playing with a Wildmut puppy. "I am a dumbass." I said facepalming. "How so?" Rook asked. "Zed. She was so quiet on the way here, that I completely forgot she was in the backseat of my car." I said before whistling for her. "I do not think that she can hear you." Rook said just before Zed stopped before me. "Good girl." I patted her head and gave her a treat. "How did she get out of your car?" Rook sounded very surprised. "I leave the back window open for her. Zed, I need you to track Ben. Can you do that?" She whined and started sniffling the air. She nudged my leg before taking off further into the homes. Soon we came upon a small side market filled with clothing and jewelery. Zed stopped in front of a set up with many strange looking bags and nudged someone's leg. The person turned towards Zed and it was the girl I had seen earlier. "That's the girl I saw earlier." I said to Rook as we stopped in our tracks. I could now get a better look at her.

She had a black jean vest with a hood that was pulled up, a red tank top, dark blue jeans, black combat boots, and spiked wrist cuffs. After the merchant handed her a miniature black bag with purple skulls, she knelt down and began to talk to Zed. Neither Rook nor I heard what she was saying. Zed aloud the girl to pet her until she started nudging the girls vest pocket. The girl pulled out some beef jerky, said something to my dog, and got her to do a trick I'd been trying to teach her for the past year. I mumbled under my breath, causing Rook to look at me. My dog sniffed the air again and looked back over at Rook and I, but she wasn't looking at us; she was looking past us. We turned around and saw an angry Ben; at first I thought he was pissed at one of us. That quickly changed when he walked right by us without any acknowledgement. I traced his path and line of sight to the girl. She said something to Zed, looked at Benji, and glared before taking off in the opposite direction. Ben ran after her, just barely dodging people who walked in front of him. "That explains why Zed lead us to that girl. She must, somehow, have Ben's scent on her." I said to Rook as we followed. "Yes. But why?" He asked. I snapped my fingers and Zed tagged along.

The chase lead towards a building that was being worked on. Four of the workers were carrying things into the store; two had a sheet of glass and the others had a counter. The girl was far enough ahead that she missed the workers blocking the way, but Ben wasn't so lucky. Rook and I slowed down, thinking he would stop and wait for the workers to pass. He didn't though; he slid under the glass and vaulted over the counter. I skidded to a stop and my mouth hung open in surprise. When I looked over at Rook he had the same look as me. "Did you know he could do that?" I asked as my dog followed them. "No, I did not." He said. We started the chase again after the workers moved. Ahead of us, way ahead, the girl took a turn between two apartments, and that's where we lost them. My dog was included. Rook and I split up to cover more ground to find the three. Soon we ended up in the same spot and heard someone screaming profanities and to be put down. "Put me the fuck down. I'm not going any where near that two face son of a bitch." They yelled and it sounded like it was around the corner. I walked out from the ally we were in and saw Zed in the one across from me. I snapped my fingers and she came over to me. To my left was Ben walking to an exit with the girl slung over his shoulder. "When did he get so strong?" I questioned myself. He exited Undertown and we followed after him.

His car was a few feet from the exit. The girl was in the front seat and Ben was standing at the back door on the driver side, changing his shirt. Let me tell you; he got some muscles since I'd last seen him. He wasn't a 'notice it right away' look, but a 'look close then you'll see' sorta thing. I was close enough that I could hear what he was saying. "You are lucky I had another shirt in here." He basically growled as he buttoned a green short sleeved shirt. Then he pulled on a black Pea Coat; at least that's what I think it's called. He closed the back door and got in the front. "And I have another shirt for you." I heard him say before the door shut. His car pulled back and raced away before I could get any closer to it. Actually the whole scene had gone by before I could make my presence known.

'Why would he have a shirt for that girl?' I asked myself. "Kevin! Did you find Ben?!" Rook called from behind me. I must have out ran him and Zed at some point. "Yea, but he took off before I could get his attention." I told him as Zed jumped up on me with an angry look for leaving her behind. "It is nearing noon. Should we get some food before returning to our search?" Rook asked right as my stomach growled. "Sure. I could go for something to eat." I answered, heading back to my car. I was content for now knowing that my Benji was alright and alive.

* * *

><p>~~~TIME SKIP TO NEAR DARK~~~<p>

* * *

><p>Rook and I continued our search to re-find Ben. Two hours after we had lunch we decided to leave Rooks' truck at Plumbers HQ. It was beginning to get late and we still had to re-find Ben. "Were could he be?" I asked myself. Rook's badge went off and I had a feeling that I'd finish the search on my own. The conversation went by quickly and Rook sighed. "I am sorry Kevin. But I am needed at HQ." He said as I pulled up to Max's store. "It's fine." I said and he got out. I drove off and continued linking for Benji. Since it was getting late, I was getting hungry again. So I stopped at one of the Burger Shacks that was in the area. There weren't that many people there so I was in and out in a snap. On my way out I spotted a new looking building just down the road. It looked fairly expensive and fancy. Not many cars were parked outside, but one caught my attention. Ben's car was sitting there a few spots from the entrance. I quickly ate all of the food that I bought, gave Zed her food, and drove to the parking lot. I parked my car next to Ben's with the front facing the doors and waited for Ben to come out.<p>

After ten minutes of waiting my phone went off. It was a text from Gwen. *How'd the first day go?* She asked. *Fine. Urs?* I returned. When I looked back up Ben was in front of his car with some guy. The guy had dark brown hair, hazel eyes, cream colored sweater, and black dress pants. He wasn't bad looking either. But there was something off about him, though. At first I thought they were friends, until the guy leaned down and kissed my Benji. I felt three things at once; hate, sadness, and most of all jealousy. I hated the guy for kissing Ben, and I was jealous of him for that too. I was sad that now I didn't have a chance with Ben at all. They parted and the guy walked away to his own car. Ben looked extremely happy as he opened the driver door. I rolled down the window and spoke. "Hey Tennyson! Why you at such a fancy place?" I asked. His head shot up and he looked confused until his eyes l landed on me. "Kevin! What's up?" He seemed like he lit up even more. "Nothin' much. Just movin' back." I said and he looked shocked. "What? Why? Did something happen?" He asked in a rush. "I can tell you my story if we can sit somewhere." I said. He nodded and got into his car. "Follow me!" He yelled before closing the door. The engine started and we pulled out onto the road.

It seemed like we were taking the way to his house, until he took a different turn. He lead me to some expensive looking apartments. We pulled into a garage under one of them. There were about five other cars in the giant garage. "Why are we here?" I asked, looking over the other vehicles. Zed had followed me out of the car. "We're going to my place." He said as if I should have known. "When did you get your own place?" I nearly yelled in shock. I stared at him as he gave me a confused look. "About four months ago. I would have sworn I told you." He said, heading over to a pair of silver doors. They turned out to be elevator doors. "So, who else lives here?" I asked as we boarded. "I don't know them personally, but when ever I speak with them they seem nice." He said. "How many times have you destroyed it since ya' got it?" I joked, yet I was serious. He laughed for a minute. I love that laugh. "Actually I haven't yet. And if you think it's expensive, it's actually not." It was like he read my thoughts from earlier. The elevator opened and it looked like we were on the top floor. I was amazed at the design of it. It was modern yet homey. There was a straight shot hallway with another elevator at the end and three doors on each side. The whole hall was at least the length of a football field and the doors were cutting off 1/3 marks.

Ben lead me to the center door on the left. Behind that door was a little hallway that lead to a living room. I saw Ben slip off his shoes at a little mat by the door and put his coat on a rack above the mat. This caused confusion to run through my mind. The last time I'd seen Ben he was considerably a messy person. He saw my look and smiled meekly. "I guess I finally caught on to my moms habits." He said, shyly walking away. I quickly took off my shoes and jacket in the same manner, and went after him. "It's fine. It's your apartment, you can do whatever." I said and he smiled at me. I looked around the area and was even more amazed. The place was huge. Right in front of me was a very spacious living room; spacious enough for a party at least. To my left was a nice sized kitchen that could rival a master chef with all of the cooking wear and electronics. And to my right was small hall under a spiraling stair case. The walls and ceiling were silver and the carpet was black. The furniture was black leather and consisted of an L shaped couch, love seat that no doubt reclined, and a light grey, glass centered coffee table. There were also green pillows sitting in the corners of the couch and love seat. Behind the L shaped couch was a floor to ceiling window that stretched the entire length of the living room. Hanging along the walls were photos of Ben with his family, his grandfather, Gwen, and me. And there were a few art pieces that looked like they were hand drawn.

My attention went back to the staircase. "Don't tell me this place is two stories." I said. Ben nodded and went to the living room. He sat on the love seat and curled around a pillow. I sat across from him on the couch. "So, what happened?" He asked. "Gwen and I broke up." I started. He gave me a shocked expression. "It was mutual thing. We just didn't have the same feelings, so we talked it over and decided that I move back." I finished, leaving out a few parts. "Well, you could stay here. I've got plenty of room." He offered. My heart rate sped up. "What about Zed?" I motioned to the dog under my feet. "Hi, Zed. I didn't see you." He said and she got up to see him. She licked his face as he petted her. A growl popped up behind me. I turned and saw a little kitten with its tail puffed and teeth bared. It looked like any other cat, besides the fact that it was on fire! "Dude! Your cat is on fire!" I yelled. It jumped over the couch and the space between the couch and love seat onto Ben's lap. It continued to growl at my dog. "Well, as you now see. Animals are allowed to stay." He laughed at my reaction. "This is Pyro, he is a Pyronite. Someone left him at the door a few weeks ago. Found him in a cardboard box with a sticky note on the top saying what type of cat he was." He finished, scratching behind the cats ears. I was surprised to hear that there were animals on Pyros. Pyro was a firey orange with a strip of flame down his back and his tail was made of flames instead of puffed fur. "I see he doesn't set anything on fire." I said, reaching out to pet him. Pyro took his attention off Zed and examined my hand. He purred and leaned into my hand.

"Looks like he already likes you." Ben said, picking the cat up and handing him to me. The cat instantly curled up on my shoulder. "Just don't piss him off. When he's mad he looks like he's straight from Pyros." He informed me. "How do you know that?" I asked, already knowing that it was something hilarious. "I stepped on his tail the first day we had him. I ran around the apartment for an hour, trying not to get synged, until Riley calmed him down." He said with a nervous chuckle. I burst out laughing until Pyro growled at me to stay still. "You stepped on this poor guys tail." I clarified. "I didn't see him. I was reading some papers and stepped on his tail." He said throwing up his hands in a mock surrender motion. I chuckled at his actions. "Wait. Who's 'we'? Who's Riley?" I asked after re-evaluating his explanation. "Is Riley that guy I saw you with earlier?" My jealousy getting the better of me. Though I did a good job of keeping it out of my voice. Ben lost any hint of amusement and looked 100% nervous. "N-no. That was Mark; Mark Shine. H-he's my b-boyfriend." He looked at anything but me as he said that. "And Riley... Well long story short; I adopted her six months ago." He said looking at me again. "If you want to tell it, we have time for the whole story." I said, urging him to tell me. I was curious about this girl. He nodded and adjusted himself when Zed jumped up onto the love seat with him. "It was through this program my parents found. They told me about it one night after I came home from stopping some alien burglars from robbing something, can't remember what. After they told me about it I told them that I'd think about it and let them know in the morning. Well that night I almost didn't sleep, it didn't leave my mind. The next morning I told them I wanted to something with the program." He took a breath and looked like he was in deep thought.

* * *

><p>-~<strong>FLASHBACK<strong>~-

-Ben-

I had just got home from stopping a burglary and my parents had me sit at the kitchen table with them. I thought I was in trouble so I did the first thing I've always done. "I didn't do it!" I yelled right when I sat down. My mom chuckled at my reflex and my dad just smile. "You aren't in trouble Ben." My mom said and I calmed down. "So, what's up?" I asked, stifling back a yawn. "We wanted to talk to you about something we came across today." My dad started. "Yeah?" I urged on. "We came across this program that helps kids find homes and we wanted to see what you had to say about it. If you wanted to help in someway." My mom said. "What's it called?" I asked, a yawn escaping my mouth. Man I was tired. "We don't know. All we had for it was a web address. But we checked out the website and it seems real." My dad informed me. It was a bit odd that the program didn't have a name, but I trusted my parents. "I'll think about and let you know what I decide in the morning." I said and they nodded at me. I got up from the table and said goodnight to my parents. That night I couldn't sleep, I just kept tossing and turning. The thought of helping the program kept running through my head, even though I didn't know how I would help it.

The next morning I got up and made my mind. When I got downstairs my parents were at the dinning room table. "I want to help them." I said when I sat down. My parents gave me confused looks before connecting last nights conversation to my statement. "Well then after breakfast why don't we call the founder." My mom suggested, setting breakfast on the table. We ate and chatted about what may happen if I helped the program. When the table was clean and dishes put in the kitchen we sat back around the table and called the founder. "Hello?" He said. He sounded like he was from an old west type movie. "Hello. Is this Mr. Falcon?" My mom asked. "Why yes it is. May I ask to whom I am talking to?" He asked and I held back my laughter at the sound of his speech. "My name is Saundra Tennyson and I'm here with my husband Carl and son Ben. We were wondering if there was anything we could do to help your program." My mom said and I heard the guy humming on the other side of the phone. "Well I recon there is, but I'm not so sure at the moment. Why don't y'all come to our little meet and greet next week and I'll see. I'm sure you folk just showin' up will help out a lot." He said and my parents looked at me. I nodded and they smiled. "That sounds great Mr. Falcon, we'll be there." My mom said. "I look forward to seein' you." he said hanging up the phone.

The week went by very quickly for me. I was glad for that since I was really excited to go. "Ben, are you ready?" My mom called up to me. I looked over myself one more time in the mirror before heading down. I was wearing some normal blue jeans, my green and white shoes, and a short sleeved black buttoned up shirt. I got in the car and we drove over to building that the meet and greet was held in. It took us thirty minutes to get there since it was held just outside Bellwood. When we walked in every single kid that was there surrounded me. Their age ranged from five year olds to seventeen year olds. "Are you really Ben 10?" One kid asked. "Can my friends and I get a picture with you?" A teen asked holding up a camera. "Would you sign my shirt?" Another kid asked. Many questions similar to that popped up as well as questions about my aliens. I answered most questions that came my way, took photos with all of the teens, and signed a lot of objects. When I turned back to my parents I saw that all of the adults had smiles on their faces from the joy that the kids now had on their faces. I turned back to the kids and smiled also. The kids dispersed and talked to their friends. My parents were ushered off to do something and I spotted this kid in the far back. They had a black hoodie that looked to big for them, black jeans, and black shoes. The hood of the hoodie was pulled over their head like some kind of shield, and they had curled themselves into a little ball on their chair.

I began walking over to them with every adult watching me, even my parents. As I got closer I noticed their eyes darting everywhere watching everyone and everything as if it would jump out and attack them. Their eyes were the only thing visible under the hood. When I was even closer their eyes locked on me and they tried to shrink even further into their chair. The kid looked terrified of everything. I stopped a good five feet from the kid and knelt down to look at them in the eyes evenly. "Hi. My names Ben. What's yours?" I said waving my hand. The kid flinched at the motion and tucked their head into their knees. I put my hand down and tried speaking again. "It's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you." The kid looked back up at me. I smiled softly and they straightened up a bit. "I see ya found Riley." Mr. Falcon's voice popped up behind me. I recognized it from the movie style old west accent. The kid flinched and hid their face in their knees again, but this time they started shaking like a leaf. "Yeah, I guess I did. So their name is Riley." I said keeping anger out of my tone. Someone had done something to this kid and it angered me. "Any last name?" I asked, casually stepping between the two. "None that I know of." Mr. Falcon said adjusting his bolo tie. "Heard the child was found outside an orphanage at a few months old with a tag statin' 'er first name and birth date." He said, stepping around me. "Ain't that right Riley?" He asked the kid, patting their shoulder. The kid did what no normal kid should do. They got up and ran to the other side of me. I'm not saying a kid shouldn't look for protection, but shaking like a leaf, flinching away from a gesture, hiding their face, and running from someone that is suppose to be helping them isn't right. "What's your connection to Riley?" I asked, playing clueless. "I'm Riley's current foster parent." He said giving me a suspicious look. "You wouldn't mind if Riley hangs out with me for the rest of the night would you?" I asked, my anger rising. "Sure. Maybe she'll learn how to behave by spending some time with a hero like you." He said and she flinch again. "Come on Riley. I want you to meet my parents." I said with an innocent smile on my face.

She followed after me right away. The closer I got to my parents the more I let my anger show. I looked back at Riley and she looked so small and breakable. She looked at me with fear filled eyes and I smile kindly. "You'll like my parents. They are some of the kindest people you'll ever meet." I told her. Her gaze went back to scanning the area. My parents were behind table putting together plates of food for people to grab. "Can I talk to you guys?" I asked once they were done, which wasn't very long. "What is it, Ben?" My mom asked. When they turned around they froze. "I'm not mad at either of you." I clarified. I'm pretty sure my face had a look of pure anger. "I'll answer any questions you have for me in a second. Does this 'meet and greet' have an adoption part to it?" I asked and I got surprised looks from my parents. "Yes. That's what this meet and greet is for. Why?" My mom said. "I want to adopt Riley." I said, stepping out of the way so my parents could see her. My parents eyes went bigger than tires. "Before you say anything. I know what that means and I want to do it." I said and they seemed to calm down. "I think her current foster father beats her." I informed them. "How can you be sure?" My dad asked. "I can't be. But by the way she acts it thoroughly suggests that he does." They looked at me then at Riley, who shrunk behind me. "Who's her foster dad?" My mom asked, worried for the girl. "The founder for this program." I said and they looked extremely shock. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I saw Riley looking up at me. She reached under her hood and pulled off some square like glasses. She pressed a button on both sides and a hologram popped. What played pissed me off so much I think I was snarling. It showed Mr. Falcon drunk out of his mind punching, kicking, and just flat out beating her with anything he could get his hands on. It ended and I knelt down to look her in the eyes; she was so timid that she shrunk in on herself, making her look shorter. "Don't worry he won't hurt you again." I said. I tried to give her a small hug, but she backed up into the wall. I growled and stood up to look my parents in the eyes. "Once this thing is over I'm calling the police or the plumbers or someone, but that guy is going behind bars one way or another." I said. My parents agreed with me.

The night went on and Riley stayed at arms length of me and my parents, but still close enough. We sat through speeches that I didn't even listen to. The only time I looked up from the game of tic-tac-toe that I had somehow got Riley to play, was to glare at Mr. Falcon when he went up. When that was over there was a set time for people to adopt the kids. I was the first one to get some of the papers. My parents and I filled out the papers and put me as the one to take care of her from now. "Are you sure about this, Ben?" My mom asked one last time. "Yes. She's coming home with us tonight one way or another." I said with as much confidence and maturity as I could. I turned the papers in and went back to my parents and Riley. We waited another thirty minutes until the whole thing was over. About ten minutes before it ended we got whatever it was we needed for Riley to legally come with us.

All four of us stepped outside and Falcon was standing right next to the door. "Come on Riley. Let's go home." He said. Riley stepped back and hid behind my parents and I. "Sorry. She isn't under your watch any more. Or any other kid for that matter." I said as a police car pulled up. Riley gave me her glasses and I showed the officer whet was on them. Somehow Falcon snuck around my parents and grabbed Riley. "You little bitch." He said and we all looked. Her hood was pulled back, allowing light to shine on her face. She had a black eye, a split swollen lip, and a bruised cheek. My rage was pushed over the edge. "Bastard!" I screamed, causing everyone around me to jump. I stalked up to him and punched him square in the nose, then I grabbed his collar and threw him to the cop. Falcon was arrested and we watched the police car drive off. "Are you ok?" I asked, looking into her blue eyes. She looked extremely pale and extremely thin. Her eyes watered and she started crying. I pulled her into a hug, not knowing what else to do. At first she stiffened, then she flung her arms around me and returned the hug. Not only did she look extremely thin, she felt extremely thin; I could feel the bones on her back through her hoodie. Eventually she fell asleep in my arms and I carried her to the car. We drove home in silence and when we got to the house I carried her to my room and put her on my bed. Then I laid out some blankets and a pillow on the floor and went to bed myself.

-~END FLASHBACK~-

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><p>-Kevin-<p>

I sat there with a shocked expression. "Shit man." I said, not knowing what else to say. "Yeah. You probably won't think the story is the truth when you see her tomorrow." He said. "How was she when she first stayed with you?" I asked, still curious. "We couldn't get her to talk for two months. The first time she spoke was to ask if we could move. Her voice was barely above a whisper and she said she didn't deserve to ask." He sounded sad. "She said that she couldn't take the all veggie and soy based meals my mom made." He laughed. "Anything else I should know?" I asked. "She's a nice kid, still fearful of somethings and she has a temper that could rival Rath. You'll figure out more as the days pass, I'm still trying to figure her out." He said, yawning. "Wanna watch some movies?" He asked suddenly. "Sure." I replied. He started the movies and we fell asleep during the second one.

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><p>AN: I DON'T KNOW HOW ADOPTIONS REALLY GO SO I JUST MADE SOMETHING UP. HOPE YOU LIKE IT!


	3. Mike Morningstar!

**Mike Morningstar!**

-Kevin-

I was woken up by someone or something poking my cheek. "Is he dead?" A almost non-existent voice asked. "No, he's alive. He probably doesn't get up this early." Another voice laughed. "Wanna see something?" The second voice asked. Whatever it was stopped poking me and I started to drift back off to sleep. Until a bunch of water was dumped on my face. "What the hell?!" I yelled, sitting up. I rubbed the water out of my eyes and the first thing I saw was the girl Ben was chasing after the day before. I jumped up and got into a battle stance and absorbed the metal that was from the chain around my neck. She squeaked and ran behind Ben. "Kevin calm down. This is Riley. Riley, meet Kevin." Ben said and I relaxed and returned to normal. "The Osmosian?" She asked timidly. "Yeah!" Ben replied. The girls face lit up. "Cool." She said, starting at me. "Hey. You get ready while I talk to Kev. Alright?" He said to the girl. She nodded and ran up to the second level. "That happens to be one of the things she's timid of." He said once she was gone. "Powers?" I asked, wondering how she lived with him then. "No. People she doesn't know. That's why my parents, and well now you, know I adopted her. She doesn't fair well with people she's not familiar with, unless I say they're ok." He said sitting on the couch. He was wearing a green muscle T, black basketball shorts, and white running shoes. "What are you all dressed up for?" I asked, taking a seat next to him. "You'll find out if you tag along." He said with a smirk. "I don't think I like that smirk on your face." I said jokingly, leaning away to emphasize the joke. He rolled his eyes and leaned back into the couch. Pyro jumped up onto the couch and laid between us. He looked at Ben and mowed. "I don't know buddy. It's pretty cold out." Ben said and the cat looked like he was pouting. "Wait. You don't understand him do you?" I asked even though weirder things have happened. "What? No. He just likes to tag along when we leave." He said, petting the cat.

"Ready! Come on, Tennyson. If you keep talking any longer we'll be trapped in by snow." Riley shouted from the door. "I swear she has your personality." Ben mumbled to me. "She looks similar to you aside from the eye color." I mumbled back. We got off the couch and Pyro jumped on my shoulder. "She does?" He asked. "Yeah. You two have a narrow frame, you're both kinda the same height, and you both have brown hair. Though she has some red in it." I said. His face reddened a bit as I said this. I think I stopped breathing for a moment, looking at his face like that. "Are you embarrassed, Benji?" I joked, using the nickname I gave him along time ago. His face reddened even more and he looked away. "Don't call me that." He tried to sound angry. "Whatever Benji." I patted his shoulder. We rounded the corner to the front door and got yelled at by Riley. "Flirt when we get out of here." She said, it was my turn to blush. "What's the matter, Kevy? Cat got your tounge?" Ben joked right as Pyro jumped off my shoulder onto Riley's. Riley was wearing red Vans, short black leggings, grey jacket with peace signs, and a purple sports bra. She also had the glasses Ben mentioned. The jacket was zipped down enough to see that she was only wearing the bra under the jacket. "Why isn't she wearing a shirt?" I asked him, looking away from Riley. "That's just how she runs." He told me. I didn't understand what he said. "Come on. The elevator goes down faster." He said, exiting the apartment and headed to the same elevator we were on last night. I followed after the two.

He wasn't lying. The elevator had us in the garage in a minute and a half. "Just follow us." Ben said motioning me to get in my car. He slid on a grey hoodie he must have grabbed just before starting out of the apartment. I got in my car as they walked outside. When I pulled out my eyes nearly popped out of my head at the sight of the foot of snow on the ground, and it was still snowing. I rolled down the window and got blasted in the face by the fridged wind. "Are you two crazy?" I called to them. "A little." Riley called back. "Not what he meant." Ben said to her. She just shrugged. "Don't worry Kevin. We'll be fine." He assured me. Then they took off running. As they ran I drove along just behind them. This was surprising me. I had never seen Ben willingly run, unless he was chasing an alien or criminal, or playing soccer. I would have to ask him what was up later. I noticed Pyro sitting on Rileys shoulder as if she was standing still. "Weird cat." I muttered to myself.

We took a few turns and were headed to the center of Bellwood. As we got closer to this place that looked like a gym Ben and Riley picked up their pace, Riley easily passed Ben and left him a few feet behind her. She got to the door of the building and started jumping up and down. Ben caught up to her in a matter of seconds, then I pulled up behind him into a parking spot. Before I opened the door I quickly changed my shirt to a random white one from my bag. I got out and heard Ben painting and Riley humming a tune. "I still don't understand how you're never out of breath after running." Ben said in between each breath. "Because I'm awesome like that." She said with a cocky grin. As I looked between them; Ben looked like he ran a marathon and Riley looked like she walked here. "Ok. What is with the running in frigid weather? And why are we at a gym?" I asked, pushing my way into the building as the cold started to get to me. I looked around and the place was run down. As in there were cracks in the floor, random unidentifiable stains on the floor, practically no one around, and just all out grungy. My kinda place. "It's part of our Sunday routine. Run here, stretch, sparr a little, and then do whatever until we leave." He said, taking off his jacket. "I've actually gotten better at, well, everything." He said walking to a boxing ring the place had. Riley followed him; her jacket now off too. They pulled out some gloves, like you'd see in an MMA fight, and put them on. They both were plain black. "Wanna join us Kevin?" Ben asked me, reaching one arm across himself. "Why not." I shrugged. I followed his example by stretching my arms, though I stopped when he went to stretch his legs. One, I was in jeans. Two, his head nearly touched the ground. I was shocked. "When did you get so flexible?" I asked. I think my eyes were popping out of their sockets. He stood up straight then bent backwards to where he was looking at me, Riley did the same. "Well, we started doing this five months ago. So you do the math." He said, straightening back up. "First time I did this I got so sick I nearly threw up, something to do with Lactic Acid in your muscles or something like that. After that happened I decided to never let it happen again and stretch as often as I could; I don't care if I look like an idiot. I so did not like that sick feeling." He explained, before drinking some water from a fountain that was near the ring. "Ben. Is that you?" someone said behind me. I turned and saw the guy from last night. "Mark!" Ben said excitedly. He ran passed me and into a hug from the other guy. "What are you doing in a place like this?" He asked, grabbing Bens hand. "I'm hanging out with my friend Kevin and Riley." Ben said leading the guy over to me. "Kevin this is Mark. Mark, Kevin." Ben introduced. I shook the guys hand and an odd feeling came over me. It wasn't any kind of emotion, it just felt like some of my energy was being drained. The guy looked like a nice person, but something about him seemed off. "It's nice to finally meet you. Ben has said a lot about you." He said wrapping his arm around Ben. "Like what?" I asked, trying to hold back my jealousy. "Like how you're a nice guy, how you help him and his cousin. Things like that." He said. Ben blushed and smacked Mark's arm lightly, shushing him. I smiled knowing Ben talked about me. "Hey, Kevin. Wanna spar?" Riley asked from behind me. I looked at her and she was glaring daggers at Mark. "Yeah! That's a good idea Riley. You guys can get to know each other and I can talk with Mark." Ben pipped up. "Ok." I said, eyeing Mark. I didn't understand why Riley would glare at him, Ben seemed to like him and I thought she would like anyone he did. I followed Riley over to the ring. She looked really pissed off. "So, how do you like living with Ben?" I asked casually. "It's ok I guess. Best place I've been to since I started getting shifted from house to house." She said as she climbed into the ring.

"I take it Mark knows about you." I said. "Kinda, yeah. As far as he knows I'm just a family member that is staying with him for awhile." She said, cracking her neck and knuckles. I went up into the ring did the same. "Why do you hate him?" I asked, then added bitterly. "Ben seems to love him." She scoffed. "There's something off about him. Every time Ben hangs out with him it seems like he loses energy, even if what they do doesn't involve any energy what's so ever. I just get a real bad vibe from him." She told me as she started sending attacks at me. "Well I've seen him twice and talked to him once, but I have to agree with you. Something is off with him." I said, blocking each of her attacks. "I'd like to see Mark out of town and Ben with someone else. But Ben won't listen when I say something is wrong with Mark." Riley said as she sent a kick to my side. It knocked the air out of me. "Well, he is stubborn." I huffed. "And clueless." She added, blocking my punches. We continued to go at it for another fifteen minutes before Ben came up to us with Mark at his side. "Hey, do you guys mind if I go with Mark for a while?" He asked. "Yes." Riley mumbled under her breath. "No go ahead." She said loud enough for him to hear. "Nah, go have fun." I said when he looked at me. "Thanks guys. He wanted to spend his last day here with me and show me something before he left for the holidays." He said with a huge smile. I gave him a small smile as he waved and walked out with Mark. When they exited the building I heard growling from behind me; it was Riley and Pyro. They were snarling and glaring at the doors. It actually sent chills down my spine, the looks on their faces. They looked like they wanted to kill someone. "Are you two ok?" I asked. "No. There's something up. Just before they walked through the doors Mark looked back at us and there was this glint in his eyes." Riley said, calming down. "I could just be paranoid though." She said climbing out of the ring. Pyro and I followed after her as she put on her jacket. The three of us walked out of the building and to my car. I slid into the drivers seat while Riley nervously got into the front passenger seat. Pyro jumped up into her lap and she shut the door. I didn't understand why she was suddenly nervous and skittish. "I need to go back to the apartment, to change." She said in a small voice. "Ok." I replied, and headed back to the apartment buildings. She sounded almost scared of me, like I was gonna hurt her or something.

I needed to think of something that will let me earn her trust, despite what Benji says about me to her. The ride there was silent, so I turned on the radio. "Any music you like?" I asked casually. "Most anything, but classical music. Like orchestras and stuff like that." She answered in a near whisper. We pulled into the garage and got out after I killed the engine. The elevator was slow like the first time I was in it. When we got to the door Riley unlocked it and I was attacked by my dog. "Zed. Stop." I said as she licked my face. Zed stopped and I was able to get past the door frame. The living room was empty, so I went and sat on the couch. Ten minutes later Riley slid down the railing of the stairs and immediately went into the kitchen. I heard doors open and close, and things getting shifted around. "Hey, what's up?" I called into the kitchen. I got up and went to the kitchen to see Riley with multiple pans on the stove. "Breakfast. That's what." She said pulling stuff from the fridge. She had eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, juice, bread, and pancake mix. After turning on all of the burners Riley began mixing the pancake batter. When it was completely mixed she put the bacon, sausage, and hash browns on three of the burners. The scent of the meat filled the air and Zed and Pyro nearly knocked me over to get passed me. "Almost done." Riley muttered, and she was. A minute later she had two plates pilled with what she had taken out. She pushed one plate to me and took hers to the table that was just to the right of the island that held the stove. Once she sat down she dug in, motioning me to come over. I walked over to the table and sat across from her. "And Gwen says I eat a lot." I said. Half of her plate was already empty. She just looked at me and shrugged. My stomach growled at me, reminding me of the food I front of me. We both quickly ate all of the food and put the dishes in the sink. "Thanks for the food." I said, and Riley simply nodded. She walked over to a closet and stuffed her pockets with packaged goods. That's when I noticed what she was wearing. She was wearing black cargo pants, Ben's old shirt from when he was ten, black and white Converse, and my old lock. I lost that the last time I was in Bellwood. "Hey. Where did you find that?" I asked, pointing to the lock. "I found it in a box while we were unpacking after we moved here." She said looking at the lock. "W-why?" She asked nervously. "I was just wondering." I said carefully. "That's my lock. I lost it the last time I was here in Bellwood." I explained when she calmed down. She looked sad when I stopped talking. "D-do you w-want it back?" She asked, looking like she was about to take it off. "Nah. Go ahead an' keep it." I said and she gave me a huge smile. "Thanks." She said, giving me a hug. Though she quickly stepped back and didn't look at me. "No prob." I said ruffling her hair. She glared at me as she fixed her hair.

"So how about we go to a movie, take these two to a park, get lunch, do something you want, then find Ben, and go do something with him." I said as we left the apartment. "S-sure." She said, picking up Pyro. I whistled for Zed and she came running out of the kitchen. We left the apartment buildings and headed towards the movie theater. When we got there, there was a fairly short line. Zed and Pyro stayed in my car as we got out and headed to the ticket booth. "Which movie you wanna see?" I asked when we got to the line. She looked at the posters and pointed at one that looked like it would give a normal person nightmares for a month. "Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded eagerly. "All right." I said and I bought the tickets. Inside was empty, besides one or two people other than us. "Ok. You go get seats and I'll get a popcorn." I said and she took off. As I waited for the person in front of me to leave I looked over the menu they had to see how much drinks and a bucket of popcorn were. The person left, I ordered, paid, and went to the theatre where the film was showing. I went in and spotted Riley up at the top row. Every row was filled except the top two. The movie started right when I sat down.

Two hours later we walked out with everyone else. Everybody that was in the theatre had looks of terror while Riley and I were laughing at the movie. The others gave us strange looks. "I told you the blonde would be first to go." Riley said throwing the empty popcorn bucket in the garbage. We exited the theatre and it was snowing again; it had stopped just before we left the gym. "Well there goes the park." I said once we got into my car. Riley just shrugged, going quiet again. "Hey. What's wrong?" I asked. I'm not much of a mushy person, but something was up with her. "N-nothing." She said shrinking into the door. I thought back to what Ben had told me. 'Maybe she thinks I'll hurt her.' I thought to myself. I snuck a look at her to see her fiddling with a pair of headphones. "You wanna find a radio station?" I asked, turning the radio back on. "Yeah, s-sure." She said, flicking through the channels. She stopped on a hot hits type of station. The first song that came on was 'Perfect Two' by Auburn. Riley smiled lightly and looked out the window. "You still want to go to the the park?" I asked when the song ended. I figured she liked it and didn't want to interrupt the song. "Uh, sure." She said, patting Pyro's head. I hadn't even seen him come up here. I nodded and started taking turns to the park.

When we got there Riley jumped out and went straight to the snow. Pyro and Zed were right behind her. I got out and watched them run and jump into the snow, after I finally grabbed a jacket. I sat on the hood of my car and just watched. Riley threw snow at both Pyro and Zed, and they both chased after her like people would. I laughed when they caught up to her and knocked her to the ground. All three of them began to roll around as if wrestling each other. Pretty soon Pyro came running over and jumped on the hood of my car, out of the snow. Riley and Zed continued to play in the snow for nearly an hour and a half. During that time Riley started making a snowman that looked like a real person. It wasn't distinctly a human, but it was close. When they looked exhausted they walked over. Riley had a huge smile on her face, but it disappeared slightly once she was by my car. "Have fun?" I asked. She nodded timidly and went to get back in the car. Now it was nearing noon and Riley was pulling out the food she stuffed in her pockets. "Up for lunch?" I asked, she nodded because she had food in her mouth. "Do you eat as much as Ben or something?" I asked, curious. "I have a very, very high metabolism." She answered, finishing off another granola bar. "Burger Shack sounds good to you?" I asked. She nodded slightly excited. We headed there and had some pretty good luck on the road. No red lights and not many other cars. "What's going on there?" Riley asked as we passed the mannequin factory. I looked and there were lights flashing, and they weren't normal lights. It looked like a battle.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." I said, pulling a U-turn. I sped back and took a sharp turn to the front of the building. "Stay here." I said to Riley as I got out of my car. Silently I snuck up to the main doors, that were left open, and looked inside. There was a figure floating a foot off the ground, surrounded by black energy. Just beyond the figure was another leaning against the wall in defeat, though it seemed more like they'd been detained of energy. I slipped passed the door and around the perimeter. As I got closer I heard a one sided conversation. "Finally give up?" The floating figure taunted the downed one. A bright flash of green blinded me for a minute before giving me a huge shock. Ben was the figure against the wall, well in an alien form at first. He looked up at the person with a hurt and angry glare. He was covered in cuts and bruises. Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, and every other cut. "I... Never... Give... Up!" He said between each breath. The guy just laughed and pulled something off his face. "Michael?!" Ben yelled in shock. "Who else do you know that has powers like mine?" He sneered. Ben tried to stand up and fight, but was blasted back down by Morningstar. "Morningstar!" I shouted, charging at him as he continued to blast Ben. He turned to me in surprise and Ben looked at me in shock and worry. I absorbed the metal from my chain and punched Morningstar in the face. "Ben? Are you okay?" I asked, nealing next to him. He weakly looked at me and said. "Get out of here. He's after you too." Before I could say another word Morningstar hit me in the back with his powers. Quickly all of my energy drained from me and I fell alongside Ben. Morningstar looked extremely pissed. He took the energy from both Ben and I quickly. I began to lose consciousness from it. "When I'm done with you two I think I'll pay the lovely Gwen a visit." He said, chuckling darkly.

That was the last thing I heard and saw before darkness consumed all my senses.

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><p><strong>Hey. For those of you who like my story; sorry it took long for this to be updated. I've been working on other stories that have popped into my head and I didn't want to lose them. Also I was stuck for a little while on some parts of this. <strong>

**Thank you for the likes on this. It means a lot to me. ~MPCREATOR**


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